ZOIC EXPANDS STAFF, STUDIO

LOS ANGELES - Zoic Studios (www.zoicstudios.com) recently completed a major expansion, adding new talent, technology and space to its current location. The facility has been busy as of late, contributing to numerous spots, the features "Van Helsing," "Spider-Man 2" and "The Day After Tomorrow," and the television series "CSI: Miami" and "Battlestar Galactica."

This steady work for a diverse range of clients helped fuel the recent expansion, including the hiring of visual effects supervisor Randy Goux, visual effects producer Les Hunter and digital artist Mandy Sorenson. Goux has worked with ESC Entertainment, Weta Digital, POP Film and Kleiser-Walczak. At Zoic, he is serving as VFX supervisor for the Universal Studios feature film "Serenity."

A computer animation and effects veteran, Hunter has most recently served as VFX producer on "The Rundown" for Universal Pictures. Prior to that project, he worked with Centropolis Effects on Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions for Warner Bros. He spent 11 years working for PDI/Dreamworks, leading more than 80 projects.

Sorenson was formerly a digital artist at Encore where she contributed to the shows "Six Feet Under," "Charmed," "Roswell," and "Ally McBeal." Sorenson got her start at 525 where she worked on hundreds of commercials and music videos from 1995-2001.

Zoic has expanded its facilities through a build-out located adjacent to its current space. The expansion allows the facility to increase capacity by 30 people, and brings its total CG workstations workforce to 75. New 10 Gigabit Fiber switches allow full Gigabit Ethernet to the desktops.

In addition to the CG workstations, Zoic also has four HD Discreet Flame bays, one Avid and a Panasonic D5 deck. In addition to Universal's "Serenity," the studio is also working on "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" for Sony Pictures.